February 16, 2026: Mercury climbs into evening twilight as Saturn fades and Jupiter shines near Castor and Pollux – A detailed sky guide for tonight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:45 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:25 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Mercury and Saturn During Evening Twilight
Mercury approaches its best view for this apparition. It reaches greatest elongation in three evenings when we see it farthest from the sun and low in the west-southwest during evening twilight.
Three bright planets are visible during the evening hours — Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter — though their visibility windows differ markedly.
Mercury continues to emerge from bright evening twilight. At 45 minutes after sunset, the planet is about 8° above the west-southwest horizon. For the next few evenings, Mercury is slightly darker sky at nearly the same altitude as the previous night. A clear, unobstructed horizon is essential. Use a binocular to initially locate the planet.
Saturn is higher in the same direction, over 20° up in the west-southwest, more than 14° to Mercury’s upper left. Although it is higher, Saturn is much dimmer than Mercury and is sliding into brighter twilight each evening as it approaches solar conjunction next month. Its rings are still detectable through a telescope, but the planet’s low altitude reduces clarity as thicker air blurs and dims the view.
Bright Jupiter in East
Farther eastward, Jupiter dominates the sky. One hour after sunset, it stands over 45° above the east-southeast horizon, unmistakably bright and steady. Jupiter is near the Gemini Twins. It is 10.8° from Castor and 8.0° from Pollux. The planet continues to retrograde, and its westward motion against the starfield is easy to follow from night to night. Use a binocular watch the Jovian Giant move compared to Wasat, 3.0° to the lower left.
Through a binocular, the contrast between Jupiter and the nearby stars is obvious. The planet appears starlike to the unaided eye, but a telescope reveals cloud bands and its largest moons.
During the early evening, look west-southwest for Mercury and Saturn. As the night deepens, turn eastward to Jupiter near Castor and Pollux, where the view improves as twilight fades.
Late in February, the so-called planet parade consists of planets scattered across the sky rather than aligned or grouped in any meaningful way, even though several are visible during the same evening hours. Jupiter and the moon are the clear standouts, shining high and bright after sunset, while other planets require careful timing and unobstructed horizons. Claims of a rare string of planets across the sky exaggerate what observers can actually see. The February 8 Sky Almanac lays out the geometry, visibility limits, and practical expectations for skywatchers at month’s end.
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